If you're interested in psycho thrillers and mind games, this one's for you. This book just don't want to be put down, you have to read it to the end once you've started it. ( )

This was the first Frank Clevenger mystery for me. I liked it well enough to go find more novels by Ablow. ( )

i liked this all the way through. even the ending was satisfactory. ( )

Very Good ( )

Oridinarily I really, really hate psycho-killer POV. Don't hate the form, but I think it's imperative to maintain narrative distance from the killer, even at the cost of making that character flat or stock. The reason is that it's impossible to do it in a convincing fashion.

But...if anyone comes close, it's Ablow, no doubt because he really is a forensic psychiatrist. I found the villain pov engaging, even fascinating, with the ring of truth and an ambiguity that makes for the best bad guys: you can really feel sorry for him.

Not so much the hero. He's fine, better than average, in fact, with the promising (to me) background of addiction and childhood pain - and the fine addition of his adopted son - but unfortunately he still came off as a little too glib/good lookin'/successful with women/courageous. In a similar vein, his love interest was carved just a little true to type: beautiful, daughter of top dog, standard insecurities and limitations. I address this plea to the whole genre, but please guys, dig a little deeper, will ya? There are far more interesting characters out there waiting to be born.

Beautiful passages concerning the sad cases who end up being so broken. Chilling - and this is probably the strongest aspect of the book - the way KA has his villain be so successful teasing out the sane and healthy from these damaged people.

One broad comment: I think this book could have been edited down significantly without losing any impact. In fact I think that by presenting several killings rather than one or two, and showing the bad guy with several patients rather than one or two, and having the hero confront many instsitutional obstacles rather than drawing that part in scant language, KA actually muddies the clarity of his story. I know that word count is disctated by a lot more than what's best for the story, but I think KA might want to practice a more-taut story.

Odious beginner mistake:
an unsympathetic female character is drawn with the very cheap and despicable paintbrush of societal bias: she is fat, dresses trashy, and has a bad smell. This is so hurtful and so unnecessary. A second unsympathetic female is also fat. KA, if this is a personal bias please address it - it weakens your work. ( )